Ex-Manchester United star reveals he gave his worst performance in famous Leeds United victory

When Leeds United visited Old Trafford for an FA Cup third round tie in January 2010, few backed the Whites to emerge victorious.

Simon Grayson’s Leeds were the underdogs as they faced a Manchester United side who, second in the Premier League table, had thrashed Wigan Athletic 5-0 just four days previously.

When young Johnny Howson sent the ball upfield, Beckford’s first touch failed him, but the Whites star succeeded in outrunning Wes Brown and sneaking the ball past Tomasz Kuszczak to score the only goal of the game.

Now Neville has come out on social media to say it was the worst performance he gave in a Manchester United shirt.

On Monday the pundit invited Twitter users to send him questions for an online question and answer session.

Amid opinions on brown sauce and matchday underpants, Neville took the chance to reflect on his career as a player.

“Worst performance as a United player?” asked Twitter user @BulledC.

“Leeds FA cup or Vasco de Gama,” Neville replied.

Fans chipped in to suggest which game was worse, while Leeds supporters revelled in Neville’s admission.

The fault for the Reds’ defeat against Vasco de Gama, which meant they failed to progress from the group stages during the inaugural Club World Cup competition of 2000, was largely attributable to 24-year-old Gary Neville, who handed the initiative to their opponents in the first half with two defensive lapses in two minutes, a deficit that the Lancashire side couldn’t recover from.

A decade later, Beckford was well beyond Neville’s reach as he advanced on goal at Old Trafford. In the number 2 shirt, the defender gave chase half-heartedly before standing deflated with his hands on his hips as Beckford celebrated in a bundle of teammates.

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United. With a digital subscription, you see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click HERE to subscribe.